box office

noun

1
a
: an office (as in a theater) where tickets of admission are sold
b
: income from ticket sales (as for a film)
2
: the ability (as of a show) to attract ticket buyers
also : something that enhances that ability
any publicity is good box office

Examples of box office in a Sentence

The box office will open at 10:00 a.m.
Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
In addition, Variety reported, Juror #2 made $5 million from 1,348 theaters at the international box office. Tim Lammers, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024 Big-budget titles released in 2016, 2018 and 2022 generated little heat at the global box office. Jennifer Maas, Variety, 5 Nov. 2024 But with Rain, Mongolian Horse and Fishbone all awaiting a domestic theater release, Qiu, for one, remains unconvinced that festival praise will lead to box office back home. Mathew Scott, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Nov. 2024 Although some international arthouse titles were performing surprisingly well at the China box office before the pandemic, the market has skewed towards local productions in recent years, with even some Hollywood films struggling to break through. Liz Shackleton, Deadline, 4 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for box office 

Word History

First Known Use

1741, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of box office was in 1741

Dictionary Entries Near box office

Cite this Entry

“Box office.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/box%20office. Accessed 15 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

box office

noun
: an office in a public place (as a theater or stadium) where admission tickets are sold

More from Merriam-Webster on box office

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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